Paul Simister's Business Coaching Blog

ACT5 Bad Back Chair - My New Toy

Ever since I came back from holiday at the beginning of May my back has been bothering me.

My new toy - an ACT5 bad back posture chair was delivered yesterday afternoon when I was out watching the football and I set it up this morning.

ACT 5 Chair - A Very Clever Design

It's a very clever design as this video shows and I want to keep this video to make sure I remember how to adjust it.

Recommended for anyone who spends too long sitting at a desk and in particular working on a PC - available from badbackchairs.co.uk 

Update after using the ACT 5 Bad Back Chair For 12 Months

Initially it went well as I was replacing an orthopaedic chair that was broken and the ACT 5 chair gave me more support.

However after a couple of months I found myself looking for another chair as my back was getting worse. It turns out I had a disease which was causing my joints to become inflamed and no chair would have been good enough.

Fortunately after I was put on a course of steroids, the inflammation was controlled and the ACT5 chair has been fine.

Occasionally I move the wrong lever by accident and find myself having to reset the chair but that's not a big problem.

I'm very pleased with it and it has confirmed how important it is to have a comfortable working environment.

Personal Improvement Articles Volume 1

Personal Improvement Articles Volume 2

The Business Building Triple Play

The fourth web broadcast from the League of Extraordinary Minds focuses on "The Business Building Triple Play: The Three Key Levels that'll Multiply Any Small Business from the Inside Out".

In this broadcast the League switches from marketing and selling to how you can improve your business through your people and probably systems. These are of course, included as pillars 7 and 8 of my own Eight Pillars of Business Prosperity.  

The top business experts included in this panel interview are:

Better Financial Control

I was having a browse around the Internet and in particular at the Frontline-Results.com blog of Louise Barnes Johnston, another business coach based in the UK.

Louise is putting me to shame because she is using BlogTalkRadio to bring valuable information to small business owners.

She's now up to broadcast 39 and it includes someone I know - and indeed help to promote - Judith Astles of JMA Solutions.

Introducing The League of Extraordinary Minds: Your First Experience

The League of Extraordinary Minds is a very special brain trust of many of the best business experts in the world and it is launched today at 3:00 pm Eastern.

The League Of Extraordinary Minds - affiliate link

54 business experts are being featured in 9 panel interviews focusing on:

7 Wastes aka TimWood - From Lean Manufacturing To Services

Today I want to introduce you to a concept that comes from lean manufacturing called the 7 wastes which can be remembered by the acronym TimWood.

I don't write about systems and processes as often as I probably should but I see big potential for taking the techniques that have been developed in world class manufacturing organisations and adapting them to smaller service based businesses.

Obstacles To Achieving Business Success & Profitability

I read the The Annual Survey of Small Businesses’ Opinions 2006/07 published by the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform this morning and I was interested in what were considered to be the biggest obstacles to business success.

The most frequently reported biggest obstacles were:

Cash In A Flash Mark Victor Hansen & Robert Allen

Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen have combined to write their new book Cash In A Flash and they have put together a very special offer which, if you want to make more money, you will probably find irresistible.

 Cash In A Flash

This is the book to help you to make fast cash in slow times.

Here is the deal.

The Cash In The Flash Deal

Millionaire Mind in Turbulent Times London

The Millionaire Mind Intensive seminar in London in April was a big success and I understand a very intense experience to attend.

T Harv Eker has adapted the Millionaire Mind Intensive to the current difficult times and Millionaire Mind In Turbulent Times comes to London on 29th August to 31st August 2009 and tickets are still available. Update - back again February 2010

Millionaire Mind In Turbulent Times

Other Experts On The Business Coaching Blog

As my Business Coaching blog has grown I have featured many people as gurus and experts, some with repeated postings which deserve recognition.

These are the people I refer to as Other Experts over in the Business Superstars and me list.

The Profitability Vice - Are You Being Squeezed?

I like word pictures and especially word pictures that relate to making more money so I was pleased to discover "The Profitabiliy Vice".

It's not my phrase but that of Lynda Roth of LJR Consulting Services, a firm that specialises in information technology, saving money etc - to be honest I'm not entirely sure because as is common in big company consultancy, I don't seem to understand the words used when put together in sentences.

But I love the idea of the Profitability Vice and wish I'd thought of it myself because many businesses are being squeezed by the pressures of:

Health Epidemics, Swine Flu & Business: Impact & What You Can Do

Every time I hear the news I hear more about the swine flu epidemic that could be another over-hyped scare story or it could be a huge threat to both businesses and the population.

I am sure that it is making people more aware of coughs and sniffles and could be creating a tsunami of hypochondria.

Scientific Wealth Building Formula Video Tom McCarthy

I want to introduce you to Tom McCarthy and the Scientific Wealth Building Formula Video.

Scientific Wealth Building Formula Video

Who Is Tom McCarthy

I was introduced to Tom through Rich Schefren and Strategic Profits as he was the compère and speaker at two of the big events in 2007 and 2008.

Tom McCarthy is what I think of as a success coach - he helps people to become much more successful. He worked with Tony Robbins as head of sales and marketing before he branched out on his own to coach top CEOs, Fortune 500 executives, Olympic gold medallists and even the special ops unit for the US Marines.

Latest Book Reviews On My Business Book Blog

Ever since I started my Business Book Reviews Blog I have tended to forget to put summary postings on this blog so here is an update for the books I've reviewed since November 2008.

Sorry that it has been so long but I am sure there are some business books there that you will enjoy.

Learn To Speak In Public - World Class Speaking

My friend and mentor Mitch Meyerson has teamed up with Craig Valentine, the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking to create a range of products so you can learn to speak in public effectively and with confidence - Word Class Speaking.

Why You Should Learn To Speak In Public

Most of us find speaking in public scary because we don't know how to speak well in public when we are the centre of attention and all the eyes in the room are looking to us for wise words and inspiration.

Recent Business Book Reviews

I have just realised that I have not been keeping you up-to-date on the book reviews I have been publishing on my Business Books blog.

I have developed an irritating habit of starting more books than I finish but here are the books which have held my attention in recent months.

UK Employment Law Changes

I avoid employment law issues - I know nothing - but I was listening to a chat show last night about the new flexibility working rules in the UK where anyone with a child sixteen or under can ask for flexible working.

Get Involved In The Small Business Success Forum

Last year I was thinking about adding a Forum to my blog because it gives you the chance to ask questions and discuss issues that matter to you rather than to follow my lead.

But a friend of mine, Rob Warlow created the Small Business Success Forum and I decided that we had more chance to create something good if we combined forces rather than competed.

A Business Coach Is Not Just For Christmas

I couldn't help but smile when I saw a promotional email from one of my competitors in the UK.

They are offering a business coaching gift certificate as a Christmas present.

I like imaginative marketing and it is certainly something that I hadn't thought about.

The confidentiality clause on the email means that I can't tell you what the offer is or who is pushing this innovative approach.

But what do you think?

Would you give someone a business coaching gift certificate for Christmas?    

Most Critical Thing In Business - Simpleology Competition

Mark Joyner and Simpleology are running a little competition at the moment on the Simpleology blog asking the question "What is the most critical thing in business?"

If you think you know the answer, you are probably asking "Why should I tell Mark Joyner?"

Well the first person who agrees with Mark and Simpleology will win one of the popular Simpleology courses and two other correct answers will be drawn at random.

Procrastination Equation: Why You Are Procrastinating

I was fascinated to read on Sunday about the Procrastination Equation which explains why you are procrastinating.

Piers Steel, a business professor at Calgary University, Canada has been taking a very close look at why people procrastinate and delay and has written a book - "The Procrastination Equation: Today's Trouble With Tomorrow".

Piers Steel's conclusion is that there is a simple formula which explains why you procrastinate and therefore gives you a chance to control your procrastination by altering factors in the equation.

The Think Big Revolution

I received an email from top author and business coach Michael Port yesterday announcing his new membership community "The Think Big Revolution".

The Think Big Revolution has been a series of teleseminars that Michael Port has held on Mondays but the idea has been expanded into a community. It is free to join and Michael says that it always will be.

What The Mini Budget Means For You - UK Only

On Monday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced some important changes to the UK tax system to help stimulate the economy.

Personally I have some doubts on the effectiveness of the changes but we have what we have and it is now a question of making the most effective use of it.

A client, Jonathan Amponsah of AMP Associates, Chartered Certified Accountants and specialist tax advisers has prepared a short guide which made me realise:

Coaching Myths: The Truth About Coaching

Today I feature another new guest blogger, Ian Broadmore, a leadership executive coach with some hard-hitting thoughts on the coaching industry which I know some will find controversial.

This article was first published in August 2007 but I believe that it is even more relevant as more people look at coaching as an alternative career.

Over to Ian.

The Truth about Business and Executive Coaching

People from all walks of life are jumping onto the coaching bandwagon, lured by stories of £100,000 salaries, many with little or zero experience are fighting for their piece of the pie.

How Do I Stop My Business Losing Money

This conversation follows on from "My Business Is Losing Money" and looks at the issues when the caller had done some analysis to determine if their cash crunch was due to profit or cash issues.

Caller "Paul, thanks for the advice the other day on how I can understand more about why business is losing money.

I have done the analysis and found that the big increase in my overdraft is due to a number of causes.

Help, My Business Is Losing Money

Caller "Help. I think my business is losing money."

Me "Why do you think that?"

"My bank overdraft has been increasing for the last few months and for the last four to six weeks, I've struggled to stay within the overdraft limit. It's gone up by about £50,000 in the last six months and I don't know what to do. We've not had this problem before."